What Comes After
by Master-Magician
Summary: Keeping her gaze on the small house at the end of the driveway, Kidman pondered what kind of reception she was going to get. Would he be grateful for what she had done the last time they met? Would he be hostile, or maybe completely indifferent? There was even the chance he would simply demand she leave the property, her very presence a reminder of what he'd lost and endured.


**I finally got around to downloading, playing, and finishing, Evil Within 2. It was everything I'd hoped, minus a few things I would have liked to see. I'm looking at you characters-who-should-have-been-present-but-weren't.**

 **I decided I needed to write at least something for Evil Within, I might do more.**

 **Honestly, while I love the interactions between Kidman and Sebastian, I'm not entirely sure if I ship them or not.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

For one of the few times in Kidman's adult life, she didn't entirely know what she was doing here. Sure, she had a vague idea, but that was about it. Calling it an idea was probably a bit generous.

Keeping her gaze on the small house at the end of the driveway, Kidman pondered what kind of reception she was going to get. Would he be grateful for what she had done the last time they met? Would he be hostile, or maybe completely indifferent? There was even the chance he would simply demand she leave the property, her very presence a reminder of what he'd lost and endured.

They had parted on well enough terms, but with the passage of time came reflection on the past. His opinion of her could have radically shifted since then.

"Now or never." Kidman sighed and pulled the keys from the car's ignition. There was no point beating around the bush, no point it constant thoughts of maybes and what-ifs. If he truly never wanted to see her again, she was going to have to hear it. Kidman would be able to see him one last time at least, him and the little one.

Steeling herself, Kidman stepped out of the car, making sure not to forget the large flat box she'd picked up on the way here. Bringing it had been a spur of the moment idea, not exactly one of her strong suits, but there it was.

Kidman was already in uncharted waters, better to dive in head first and get it over with.

Making her way over the concrete sidewalk, Kidman took the time to look the place over. It was small, two bedrooms, maybe three. He never did need much space, not since Kidman first met him. Even with just the two of them now, a small place was all he required.

Perhaps he preferred it this way? The house seemed to radiate that feeling of warm, homely comfort. Something utterly alien to Kidman, but if this was what this was, she certainly liked it.

It was easy to shove all worried and anticipation down on the walk to the front door. As long as Kidman could focus on one foot in front of the other, she didn't think about anything else. Now that she was standing right in front of the house's front door, all those worries came rushing back.

Adjusting the box in her hand, Kidman reached for the doorbell. Her finger froze less than an inch from the button. If she pressed it, there would be no going back. It was doubtful she could make it to her car fast enough if she did. Not only would that be infinitely childish, somebody would either open the door or simply look out the window and see her. Right now, Kidman could still back out, but not if that doorbell was hit.

Time to decide.

Even from the front porch, Kidman could hear the loud buzzing. She'd hit the button while still considering her options. Evidently, her subconscious had already decided and left her holding the bag.

"I'm coming!" A voice called from within, a gruff and unmistakably familiar tone.

When the doorknob began to rattle, Kidman took this one last opportunity to suck in a deep breath to steady her nerves, not that it did much good. Adjusting her leather jacket, Kidman decided she was ready as she could ever be.

The door opened just as quick as a normal one, but to Kidman it was the slowest in the entire universe.

"Hello, Sebastian." Try as she might, there was nothing else Kidman could think of to say as a start besides those two stupidly simplistic words. Had this been anyone else, she would have been a bit smoother and collected.

It had been months since their parting, Kidman had pondered during the entire drive here how he would look. Now that she was here, and the man himself right before her, she almost didn't recognize him. He was clean shaven, no dark circles beneath his eyes, his posture more relaxed and at ease than Kidman had ever seen. Had Kidman not known him at least somewhat personally, she could have also been convinced he was a good deal several years younger.

If Kidman hadn't of heard his distinctive sandpaper rough voice a moment ago, and if she hadn't done her research to confirm he lived here, Kidman could have been easily fooled that this was not Sebastian Castellanos.

At least Kidman had been able to speak. Sebastian hadn't said a word, and his expression seemed to be stuck on a bad case of 'what the hell, is this even real?'. That face lasted about three seconds before morphing into an expression of pure horror.

"I'm not here with bad news or anything." Kidman remembered a bit too late what happened the last time Kidman turned up on Sebastian's metaphorical doorstep. "I'm not here on business, I'm just… I… damn. This isn't how I thought this would go."

Dear lord, Kidman had been here a whole twenty seconds and was already screwing up the whole 'visit an old friend' thing. Could they even be called friends, or were they more like acquaintances? Didn't help that Kidman had little experience with social interaction. She wasn't what you'd call stunted, but pretty damn close.

At least Sebastian wasn't pointing a gun at her again.

"Okay…" Sebastian stepped aside from the doorway. "Want to come in?"

Maybe Kidman hadn't botched this as badly as she assumed.

"Thanks." Once Kidman was through the door, Sebastian seemed to notice the box beneath her arm.

"What's that?"

"Oh." Kidman held the item with both hands out to Sebastian like some kind of offering. "I brought pizza, happy late housewarming." Sebastian and his daughter had moved into their current dwelling almost five months ago, but hopefully it was the thought that counted.

Food was the kind of thing a person brought for someone for such an event, wasn't it? Kidman, Sebastian, and Joseph had shared a few during their time working together. Hopefully the item wouldn't bring back bitter memories.

"You? Brought pizza?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow.

"It was a last second thing." Kidman defended.

"Now I know I'm dreaming." Sebastian chucked but took the box from his ex-partner. "You don't seem like the pizza type."

"Hey, I can appreciate good food just like anyone else." Kidman was internally grateful they'd gotten over the accidental tension so quickly. She was still uneasy about being in this house, but she was getting better.

"I'm sure you can. Come on." Sebastian led the way to his kitchen, Kidman following quietly.

As they walked, Kidman caught sight of a number of framed photos lining the wall. A handful were of Sebastian's daughter, Lily. Some featured the pair together, all of which must have been taken in the months since the downfall of Mobius.

Only one picture featured the third and final member of the Castellanos family, Myra. Kidman recognized the photo as the damaged one Kidman herself had given to Sebastian back in that bar. It was quite possibly the last surviving image of the woman. Definitely the last one showing the three together.

Seeing it brought a pang of jealous to Kidman. This right here, this was what loving parents and their daughter were supposed to look like. Something Kidman was denied, and was ripped away from the Castellanos' life. It gave Kidman a sense of sadistic satisfaction to know she'd played a part in obliterating Mobius once and for all.

Life itself may have screwed over Kidman, but at least Sebastian and his daughter were allowed some small manner of vengeance against the ones who wronged them.

Even though it had been five months since Myra's sacrifice, it would be long time before another woman took a place on that wall, if one ever did.

Kidman was oddly… comfortable with that thought.

"So." Sebastian deposited the pizza box onto the kitchen table. "To what do I owe the visit if you don't need my help?"

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to check up on you and Lily." Kidman lied easily. No, she was most certainly not in the neighborhood. Telling Sebastian that would have been pointless anyway. "It's been a while."

"It has." Sebastian was suspicious, Kidman could tell that much, but he didn't press. "How did you find us?"

"Wasn't hard." Kidman shrugged. "I knew you moved to this town because… well, you know."

Sebastian had wanted to start fresh with his daughter. A small town like this one would be perfect for that, but it wasn't the only reason he came here.

Joseph.

Kidman had promised Sebastian back when he was still inside the second STEM that she would tell him about their other partner when she could, and Kidman had delivered on that promise.

Joseph was alive yes, but had been in a coma since the Beacon disaster. He was not braindead like the other victims of Ruvik, but thus far had yet to awaken. Mobius left him in an out of the way hospital under a false name for observation. Kidman never did find out whether or not Sebastian told Mrs. Oda about her husband's fate.

Joseph survived the events of Beacon, but had been critically injured and his mind turned practically inside out by Ruvik. Kidman honestly didn't know if he would ever wake up, but Sebastian held out hope.

"So, you've done research on me I bet." Sebastian produced a couple of plates from a nearby cabinet and slid one over to Kidman. "What about you? What have you been up to?"

The man was not entirely wrong, Kidman had done some looking up on Sebastian when she decided to pay him a visit. Just enough to find out Sebastian had found a desk job at the local precinct, Lily had been enrolled in the nearby school, and lastly, the pair's address. Tempting as it was, Kidman hadn't gone any further than that out of respect for their privacy.

"Moving around mostly, haven't really found a place to settle yet." Kidman's nerves had shot her appetite to hell, but she took a slice of the pizza just so she would have something to keep her hands busy. "Some odd jobs here and there, not much worth mentioning."

"How long you visiting for?" Sebastian had taken a slice too, but much like Kidman, he didn't seem to be interested in actually eating. Kidman may not be the only one working through unease.

"I have a hotel room for the night, but no clue how long I'll be in town." Kidman didn't know why she lied, but she did. Maybe in front of Sebastian she wanted to create an allusion that Kidman wasn't homeless. All of her worldly possessions, meager though they were, were currently sitting in the car parked in Sebastian's driveway.

"And after?"

"Not sure…" Kidman cleared her throat, unable to avoid sounding like she was deflecting.

"Really now?" Of course, Sebastian had to choose now to catch on.

"I was just thinking, that's all."

Sebastian said nothing, but made a hand gesture for her to continue.

"I might look for an apartment in town." There, Kidman said it.

"Why here? We're kinda in the middle of nowhere." From the look on Sebastian's face, he wasn't expecting that.

"It's just…" Kidman groaned internally, suppressing the urge to let her head drop to the wood of the table. "I don't know anybody else."

"I know you said you never had any family." Sebastian actually remembered that, Kidman shouldn't have been surprised. "You must have met some people over the years."

"Sure." Kidman scowled. "In Mobius. Beyond that there was never any personal life. I couldn't afford it, so everyone else I knew sank with Mobius, but believe me, there's no love lost there."

Always focused on the next job, always afraid of letting anyone close enough to hurt her. Kidman had gotten over that stupid line of thinking only recently, but the damage was done. Add that to the list of things Kidman regretted.

"Say the word." Kidman pointed over her shoulder at the direction she'd entered the kitchen from. "And I'll leave, you'll never have to see me again. But if not… I want to be part of you and Lily's life. If you'll have me."

"I've got a better idea." Sebastian spoke with a completely straight face. "Move in."

Kidman nearly fell from her chair she was so dumbstruck. Did he just say… no way in hell. She imagined that, she had to of. "What?"

"Move in." Sebastian repeated. "If you want to. We have an extra room you're more than welcome to."

"You can't be serious."

"I am absolutely serious."

"Why?"

Sebastian's countenance darkened for a long moment. "You, Myra, the others who helped me in Union. I owe you all everything. You gave me Lily, and my life, back for a second chance. I can't do anything for the dead, but I can give you a place to stay. It's the least I can do."

"And what do you want in return?" As much as Kidman tried not to, that was her question on pure reflex. She had been given more than a few things by Mobius, and they always came with strings attached every time. This was Sebastian, but Kidman was still working on breaking bad habits.

"I do have one condition." Sebastian held up a single finger.

"Which is?"

"You let me and Lily learn more about you. The real you, none of that Mobius crap." Sebastian's request would have been nothing to anyone else, but Kidman was not anyone else. Just who was the real Julie Kidman? The woman didn't even know herself really all that well.

"And if I don't even know that?" Kidman forced her voice to sound sure and steady.

"If you're living with me and my daughter, you'll have plenty of time to figure that out." Sebastian flashed a tiny smile at Kidman that almost made her stomach lurch. The sight of such an expression on Sebastian was rarer than a shooting star. "I'm sure Lily will be excited to see you again."

"Dad!" Kidman wasn't sure if it was divine intervention or just plain luck, good or bad, that chose that moment for Lily Castellanos to arrive home. "I'm home."

"We're in here!" Sebastian called out to his daughter, completely missing the still floored Kidman. She knew Lily would be coming home before long, but after Sebastian's suggestion, Kidman was not ready.

"I smell pizza." Lily came into the room, looking adorable in her pink coat and matching backpack. She was in the doorway a whole one second before her eyes fell on Kidman. "JULI!"

Kidman didn't have time to even blink before Lily was across the room and throwing her arms around the older woman. The attack was so sudden, so fierce, Kidman barely managed to avoid being knocked from the seat.

"Hey, kiddo." Kidman didn't hide her smile as she ruffled the girl's hair, returning the hug as best as she could.

Sebastian watched the spectacle, smile growing exponentially with the arrival of his daughter. Before Lily could crush Kidman to death, Sebastian pushed his untouched plate of pizza across the table toward the girl. "And yes, you did smell pizza, Lily."

"Cool!" Lily ferociously tore into the pizza with a relish only a seven-year-old could achieve. The little girl's excitement made buying the food ten times more worth it.

"Offer still stands, Kidman." Sebastian turned his gaze from Lily, to Kidman. "Or do I have to have Lily here use puppy eyes?"

Lily looked up from her food, pizza sauce covering her lips and arched her eyebrow in the exact same way Sebastian did not too long ago. Like father, like daughter indeed.

Looking between the two of them, Kidman thought hard about her options. If she didn't want to, they would be okay with her getting a place somewhere else. They both wanted her to stay around, in one way or another. In the end, they would accept, and be happy, with whatever choice she made.

"Okay." Kidman sucked in a deep breath. "You have a deal."

"Deal?" Lily gave her father a quizzical look.

"Lily." Sebastian motioned for Lily to come closer. When she did, Sebastian leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

The squeal Lily made next almost had enough power to shatter glass, it just about did Kidman's eardrums. One might think Lily had been told it was Christmas in July.

"Come on!" Lily rushed over to Kidman and seized her by the hand and yanked her from the chair. The girl had a surprising amount of strength for being only seven. "Your room's this way!"

While being dragged, almost literally, from the room, Lily went on and on about how she was going to help Kidman decorate with all sorts of things, and how they could play together whenever they wanted. Kidman just didn't have the heart to offer any resistance. Lily had been through enough to get whatever she desired.

Just before Kidman was out of the room, the last thing she saw was Sebastian. He remained at the table, but that smile never faded even for a moment.

It was years before they met, but somehow Kidman just knew it. This was how Sebastian looked before everything. Before losing Lily, before losing Myra, before Beacon. This was a man who had everything he could ever want, and couldn't be happier.

Kidman rather liked the look.

* * *

 **Finally got this done, been having to work on it off and on all week with what little time I've managed to drum up for it. Definitely feels good to do something for Evil Within again.**

 **I was a little disappointed at the end to see everyone going their separate ways, but after seeing that ending scene, we'll see how long that lasts.**

 **I think in the game, Lily is described as being six years old. Seeing as how my work takes place five months later, she's probably had a birthday by then.**

 **Depending on how this is received, I may do more. I might even make this into a multichapter story if I get enough people who like it, or I get enough ideas.**


End file.
